Expo, summit to further drive ASEAN-China cooperation forward

The 16th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and the 2019 China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) will take place in Nanning, capital of China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, from September 21-24.

Vice Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Yang Jinbai said having been held successfully for 15 straight years, CAEXPO has become an international event with considerable influence in promoting economic ties between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

It provides a platform for dialogues among leaders and ministers of ASEAN and China to enhance cooperation between the two sides and help build a sustainable ASEAN Community and China.

Photo for illustration: vov.vn

Yang said in the 15 previous editions, CAEXPO attracted a total 746,000 entrepreneurs, helping with the implementation of major projects like the China-Malaysia Twin Parks and the China-Indonesia Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, along with the upgrade of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area.

So far, more than 200 meetings and forums on more than 40 fields have been organised as part of CAEXPO, setting up an array of cooperation mechanisms and helping turn Guangxi into a gateway to ASEAN.

This year’s event will cover 134,000 sq.m, up 10,000 sq.m from the last expo, with additional booths for the media. It will focus on trade, investment, production capacity, digital economy, science and technology, finance, e-commerce and tourism.

A total of 33 forums and meetings within the expo will provide information in various spheres, supply services for connecting commercial and industrial projects and create business opportunities for the 10 ASEAN members and China.

For the first time, CAEXPO Global events will take place and a CAEXPO Blue Book will be published to provide the latest information about bilateral economic and trade partnerships.

With such a scale, the CAEXPO and CABIS 2019 are believed to boost ASEAN-China cooperation.

ASEAN and China have recorded sustainable growth in trade. For 10 consecutive years, China has been the largest trade partner of ASEAN, which in turn became the second biggest trade partner of China for the first time in the first half of 2019.

Between January and June, bilateral trade reached 291.85 billion USD, up 4.2 percent year on year.

Meanwhile, bilateral investment value hit 205.71 billion USD as of the end of 2018, rising 22-fold in 15 years, making ASEAN a leading investment destination of Chinese enterprises.